How to freeze extra herbs

 September 26th, 2012 

The garden is full of fresh herbs and no one wants to let it all go to waste!  So I have a great tip for you.

Freeze them!!
You can easily chop up your leftover fresh herbs and freeze them!

How you ask?  Easy
Freeze them in water for short term storage or freeze them in oil for storing over a few weeks.

I use an ice cube tray which makes it very easy to place about 1 Tablespoon of fresh herb into each of the 12 sections of the tray.
Once they are frozen solid, pop them out of the tray and place into a sealed and labeled ziploc bag and store in the freezer.

This makes it so convenient to add to a recipe or to add to a drink to add some extra flavor.

Freeze your mint and add it to your tea for ice tea or add it to your water and now you have a a home made flavored water.

Freezing them in a 1 Tablespoon serving makes it easy to add to a recipe since it is already measured out for you.

So stop throwing out fresh herbs that you did not use and freeze them.

Gin-Soaked Raisins May Alleviate Pain

 September 28th, 2012 

A reader just  shared with me  her  Grandmother’s old remedy for  relieving  arthritis pain.  Some old time remedies do really work and others don’t.  The claim is that Gin-soaked raisins may alleviate arthritis  pain, so I decided to do some investigation work to find out why it would work.  Was Grandma just drinking the gin and her excuse was that it helped her arthritis ? Is there any merit behind it?

The remedy is as follows. Place a box full of golden raisins (must be golden) in a glass vessel, like a canning jar. Pour in gin specifically made with Juniper berries, until the raisins are completely covered. Let the raisins sit for a week at room temperature and soak up the gin. After that, eat 10 raisins per day. Theoretically, if you have arthritis pain, this will help.

OK, what a strange remedy. Let’s do a little digging, and see what we can figure. Golden raisins are sultana grapes, to which sulfur dioxide has been added to keep them golden. Sultana grapes are from Turkey, Greece, Iran or South Africa. In the U.S., they are cultivated under the name Thompson seedless grapes. These grapes are rich in the compounds resveratrol, catechins, potassium and vitamin C. Both resveratrol and catechins are antioxidant compounds, which also demonstrate anti-inflammatory activity. Arthritis pain involves inflammation of the joints. So possibly, these compounds are implicated in the efficacy of the gin-soaked raisin arthritis remedy.
Then there is the gin, made specifically from Juniper berries. As it turns out, juniper berries are laden with anti-inflammatory compounds, including catechin, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, betulin, caryophyllene, delta-3-carene, epicatechin, limonene, menthol and rutin. They are packed with anti-arthritic activity!
On top of that, the sulfur dioxide used to keep golden raisins golden also possesses anti-inflammatory properties.
When you soak the golden raisins in the juniper berry gin, the gin extracts many of the compounds in the raisins, making them more readily absorbed when you consume the raisins.

So maybe it will work.  These raisins are packed with anti inflammatory power. If you don’t mind the taste of the gin then this could be a great way to start or end the day.  The alcohol level that is in the raisin is not enough to make you drunk.

I’d like to hear from anyone that may have tried this remedy. Did it work for you ?

Source

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/04/11/gin-soaked-raisins-alleviate-pain/

Goji Berry

Goji Berry

 October 5th, 2012 

An amazing Superfood

Contains 18 amino acids 21 minerals  beta carotene and vitamin C also 4 grams of fiber

It is like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry.

Chinese medicine uses the Goji berry for fertility, longevity, boost the immune system and increase sexual fluids.

People with lung or eye conditions should eat the berries for the high beta carotene.

A great way to eat them is by adding them to a smoothie, add to hot cereal or make goji milk.

Goji milk

handful of Goji berries in a blender with 8 oz. of distilled water . For an extra kick add some ginger.

1 cup is packed full of energy and 8 grams of protein.

Great for Breakfast

raw oats, almond slices,apple slices, flaked coconut, Goji berries and moisten with pomegranate juice.

Goji berries are not listed in the USDA data base of food so the exact make up of them has not been identified. A lot has been published about the berries curing cancer, lowering insulin levels, shrink tumors and much more.  But the claims are not strong enough to be supported.   The berry is full of nutrients no doubt.

If it is good enough for Dalia Lama then it is good enough for me.